If this website has been useful to you, please consider
making a Donation.

Your support will help keep this website free for everyone, and will allow us to do
more research. Thank you for your support!

Civil War Soldiers - Ayres

Ayres, Romeyn B., brigadier-general, was born in
Montgomery county, N. Y., Dec. 20, 1825, and graduated at West Point
in 1847. Shortly after graduation he was sent to Mexico as second
lieutenant in the 3d artillery, and remained in the garrison at Fort
Preble until 1850. From that time until the outbreak of the Civil war
he did frontier and garrison duty, and in May, 1861, was made captain
in the 3d artillery. He was present at all the early engagements of
the war about the defenses of Washington, then served as chief of
artillery in W. F. Smith's division and of the 6th army corps, after
which he accompanied the Army of the Potomac in the peninsular
campaign of 1862, going thence into the Maryland campaign, ending in
the battle of Antietam. After three months' sick leave he engaged in
the winter campaign on the Rappahannock, and fought at Fredericksburg,
Chancellorsville and in the intervening engagements. Being made
brigadier-general of volunteers in Nov., 1862, he commanded a division
of the 5th corps at Gettysburg, and was then ordered to New York city
to suppress the draft riots. He accompanied his command in the
movements against Richmond in 1864, was wounded at the siege of
Petersburg in June, and took part in the final engagements which
resulted in Lee's surrender at Appomattox. On April 30, 1866, he was
mustered out of the service as lieutenant-colonel of the 28th infantry
and brevet major-general, U. S. A., having received these and lesser
appointments on account of meritorious service during the war.

Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908